Jasper Falls

Wolves, Hormones, Imbalances, Lore

Contains spoilers for Book 3. If you haven't read or is currently reading it, but still wish to view this part, proceed with caution and read at your own risk!!!

Notice: When I refer to the wolf/animal half, I refer to both the wolf and werewolf forms.

@story_lover151 raised a good point.

'So, does Dale have a strong wolf as well? What about Jaxon? I mean, when their mates were kidnapped, they didn't lose control. Except, when Lyle hurt Asher. I am pretty confused here.'

Allow me to do my best to explain this aspect of the werewolf universe I have created within the fictional town of Jasper Falls, and furthermore, nameless region/country.

Phew! This is gonna be a tough one.

Okay, so let's use imagination here. Picture this first, and think of this 'control' thing or lack thereof as a condition. Particularly in Carter's case.

Carter: *pops up out of nowhere* *le gasp* I'm sick?

Hybrid: Get back to your universe!

Carter: ｡ﾟヽ(ﾟ'Д｀)ﾉﾟ｡

Bennett:  （￣□￣；）

Sorry about that. The children are misbehaving. Anyway, when I say a hormonal imbalance, I'm referring to the hormones that wolves have that kick start healing processes. This hormone thing is pretty complex so let's use some basic science and physics to understand. Picture scales, and let's imagine for a moment, we have split a werewolf into two. We took their human and animal halves and ripped them away. So, on one side of the scale you have the animal half, the wolf. And on the other, you have the human half. Now, if you put too much of one thing on one side, the scales tip in favour of that which is heavier.

The scale itself, are the hormones mentioned throughout the series thus far. It keeps symmetry. It keeps equivalency between the human and animal halves.

'I've heard stories about werewolves with a ridiculously strong wolf. The higher ranked they are, the more difficult their wolf is to control. It's a belief in the werewolf community that the reason we have mates is because we exist in halves and one half cannot peacefully exist without the other. And for people like Carter, it's as though they were born with a little less than most lacking that common balance...'

Remember when Bennett said that? I'll try to break it down because there are a few things to address. The lore is that werewolves are born as halves, which is why they have a human side and an animal side. And that's why they have mates, one other soul, another half, that is made just for them because that mate, is the half they're missing. They're like yin and yang, fire and water.

The wolf halves level out each other and the human halves level out each other. With a werewolf, the animal half, the wolf itself is a supernatural entity that needs to be balanced.

It's established that Carter has a ridiculously strong wolf. But what makes a wolf strong?

Here, we're talking about the animal half. Each wolf is strong in his/her own right regardless of rank. But, what makes Carter's wolf so damn strong?

Well, his hormonal imbalance. His human half does not possess the strength to combat and level out the wolf making it appear like the stronger entity.

Another character who has a strong wolf is Tucker. (Those of you who read this before you reach book 2, will not have heard of him yet). Sky also has a strong wolf. What's the difference between Tucker, Carter, and Sky. Their difference in rank. Tucker is an alpha wolf, Carter is a beta wolf, and Sky is a third-in-command. But, what sets Sky and Tucker apart from Carter if they call have strong wolves?

Their balance. The individual wolf and human have a balance that prevents them from acting out, from losing control. And it's that balance in hormones (remember the scale) that makes them capable of living without a mate even though they will yearn for their other half. In one or two chapters of book 3, Carter claims that he needs the mate bond, because his mate has that thing he lacks. Control and stability.

Now, to answer the questions @story_lover151 raised. Yes, Dale has a strong wolf. But like with Jaxon and Sky, he has an equivalency within himself, between his wolf and human sides so therefore they did not act out or lose control. It's why, even when Laken was kidnapped, Dale didn't go 'feral' in a sense and rip apart the town looking for his mate. Because he has control. He was born with it. Same thing with Sky when Jace was kidnapped in book 1. He was worried sick like any loving mate, but didn't go monster wolf. And yes, Jaxon did get angry but didn't lose control completely. He only succumbed to the anger and acted out going somewhat feral because of his past. All the troubles him and Bentley went through to stay together, what was done to Bentley in his final hours, it has changed the human half of Jaxon thereby making him always appear somewhat feral. But, he does have control over his wolf.

You can say Jaxon is starkly different from Sky and Dale because Jaxon's reactions to certain things make him appear more feral than human.

Now back to Carter. When Bennett said that wolves like Carter are born with a little less, it's just that. They were born with an imbalance, the scales tipped in favour of the animal half. And while they possess the logic and mentality to act rationally and sensible, their reactions to certain incidents and situations may not always be just. And as they get older, and the animal half gets stronger, they begin to realize that a mate isn't something they want. It's a necessity if they ever plan on being normal.

The one thing we know for sure about Bennett is that even if he doesn't outright admit it, he wants a mate. He doesn't need one. Carter is different. He both wants and needs a mate. And what we've learned about Bennett is that he has excellent control over his wolf and emotions. He has a little more than the average werewolf because he has the extra hormonal balance Carter was born without. You can say that when they were born, Bennett stole that balance from his mate and now, just being around Bennett, is already filling the void Carter has known to he there all his life.

Bennett also mentioned that with wolves like Carter, their lack of balance drives them to be extremely loyal to family, friends, pack, and mate. It's why we've seen Carter so passionate about protecting his pack and friends in books 1 and 2. It's why we saw him so broken up when Kelly rejected him. He was loyal to her in every possible way and came to depend on the normalcy her bond gave him. So when she started distancing herself, he grew desperate to save his relationship. He started acting out. And when she rejected him, he turned to batter and berate the source of his problems. But now that the source of his problems turned out to be his new mate, he doesn't care about that past.

He knows that he'll never be happy or normal without Bennett. That's why he's hellbent on making their relationship work.